“Was that your evil plan? Get me all revved up and then leave me wanting more?” She plopped down beside him.
“Nope. My evil plan was to rev you up so you’d stop worrying. The wanting more part was just a bonus.” He put his hand on her thigh, and it burned right through her shorts to her skin.
She lifted his wrist between her thumb and forefinger and moved it from her leg to his. “Let’s not tempt fate. I can’t be held responsible for how my body reacts to you.”
He grabbed her cheeks and kissed her hard. “God, I love you.”
Love! I think my whole body just went numb.
He held her stare, as if he couldn’t believe he’d said it either.
Sage looked down at his hands. “I can’t help it.” He lifted his gaze to hers. “I do.”
Oh God, yes! Me too! I love you too! She could hardly hear past the adrenaline rushing through her. This was different from I love your heart. This was bigger—so much bigger. Kate wanted to memorize his face, the mixture of love and worry in his beautiful dark eyes, the way he rubbed his hands together, unsure, nervous. She wanted to remember the way the humidity mixed with the jungle plants, and Sage’s masculine, earthy smell sent a shiver through her. And as she said, I love you, too, she wanted to remember the look in his eyes.
“I love you, too, Sage.” His face lit up, and she could feel love coming off of him in waves. That’s the look I’ll always remember. The look that says I’m everything to you.
He took her hands in his. “Do you know the song ‘Brave’ by Sara Bareilles?”
“‘Brave’? No, I…uh…uh.” ‘Brave’?
“I think of the song every time I see you. The song is about being brave enough to say what you mean. Kate, you’re here without any family to lean on, without a best friend to help you through the hard times and celebrate the great times. You take care of so many people, and you set aside your needs to do it. You’re the epitome of brave.”
“You think I’m brave?” Brave? That’s…so big. Huge. As huge as I love you.
“Incredibly brave. You’re an inspiration.” His brows drew slightly together as his eyes searched hers. “We’ve come together so fast, and I wasn’t sure if I’d scare you off by telling you how I felt, but then I thought of that song, and I thought of you, and I realized that I had to be brave. I wanted to be brave. I wanted you to know how I felt. I love you, Kate, right through to my soul.”
“You didn’t scare me off. You reeled me right in.” She wanted to jump up and down and scream, He loves me! Sage Remington loves me!
He pressed his lips to hers. A long, slow, breath-stealing kiss, and Kate knew she’d never forget a single second of that evening.
Sage picked up the bag he’d been carrying. “I brought you a few things.”
Kate trapped her lower lip in between her teeth, trying to rein in her excitement. “You love me and you brought me presents? Quick, check my pulse.” She held her wrist out toward him. “Am I still alive? Where could you have gotten me anything?”
He laughed. “Don’t get too excited. They’re not that great. I ordered them when I ordered the supplies for the mural.”
“But that was before we even got together.” You liked me enough then to get me presents? She knew the answer, because she had felt the connection then, too.
“Yeah, and it feels like a year ago.” He took a leather day planner from the bag and handed it to her. “I know you love your clipboards, but this way you have something that’s dated, with places for your notes, resources, whatever you need.”
Kate ran her fingers over the distressed leather. She flipped it over to the front and nearly cried when she saw her name in the upper-right corner. “This is…Sage. This is beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He dug into the bag and pulled out a stack of multicolored sticky notes. “To feed your addiction.”
She laughed. “You really do pay attention to detail.” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “I figured those notes would make you think I was a little bit of a freak.”
He pulled her in close and whispered, “I can’t wait to meet the freak in you.”
Goose bumps rose on her arms. I don’t have a freak in me. Do I? She hadn’t been with a man that she trusted enough to want to explore any freakiness that might be lurking inside her. One look at the desire in Sage’s eyes and heat rushed through her. She trusted Sage, and she wanted him—God, how she wanted him. Brave. She took his hand and allowed her desire for him to lead them inside.
“But I wanted to…” He watched her turn on the radio. “Talk about the nonprofit.”
“So did I, but…” She turned out the light.
“And our plans so you weren’t anxious...” Sage’s voice trailed off.
Brave, brave, brave. Be brave. “Let’s lessen my anxiety without words, and talk later.” With her heart slamming against her ribs, she closed her eyes, falling into the beat of the sensual tune. Her hips found the rhythm, and her shoulders followed.
“Oh, baby,” Sage said in a low, sexy voice.
He pulled her to him, and she opened her eyes. Her cheeks heated, and she trapped her lower lip between her teeth to steel herself against her mounting embarrassment. She fought the urge to let him take over and shook her head slowly, hoping she looked seductive, her long hair brushing against her cheeks. She backed away from Sage, swinging her hips while wagging her finger from side to side.
“No, no, naughty boy.”
His eyes narrowed, and the edges of his lips curved up in a devilish, hungry grin. Knowing she was turning him on boosted her confidence. She turned her back and lifted her shirt up on one side, then the other; then she turned to face him, repeating the tease, as if she were a practiced erotic dancer, which surprised and aroused her. She moved around him, grinding her hips in to his, her palms flat against his chest as she shimmied down his body, inciting a titillating moan from Sage. She slid a tank strap off her shoulder and moved closer to him, rubbing her shoulder against his chest; then she lowered the other strap and let her shirt drop below her breasts.
“Kate,” Sage whispered hungrily.
Kate glanced down. Her shirt was stuck around her ribs. I’m the worst dirty dancer ever! Sage’s eyes roamed from her face to her breasts, where they lingered. She hooked her thumbs into the sides of her shirt, rocked her hips, and wiggled out of the shirt as if it were a skirt; then she swung it on her finger and tossed it at him. He grabbed it and took a step closer to her just as the song changed to “Walking on Air” by Katy Perry. Shit! Kate was determined to keep Sage’s interest. She closed her eyes again and found her groove, moving her hips and shoulders. Her head lolled from side to side. She moved faster to keep up with the chorus, unable to stop the smile from stretching across her lips. After the chorus, the beat slowed, and she hooked her thumbs in her shorts and shimmied out of them, tossing them at Sage. Wearing nothing but her pink lacy panties, she snagged a scarf from the window and looped it around Sage’s neck, using the two sides to pull his hard body against her.
“Mm.” He lowered his mouth to hers and grinded his hips against hers. Kate released the scarf and slid her hands beneath his shirt. She shimmied down his body and pushed his shirt up, kissing his hot skin on the way back up. With one hand, Sage reached behind him and pulled his shirt off, sending the silky scarf sailing down beside them. Kate ran her fingers lightly along his sides, feeling his muscles jump beneath her touch. She bit her lower lip again—it had worked before to take her out of her own head and calm her nerves, and luckily, it worked again. The beat of the music slowed, and with one hard tug, she opened the button of Sage’s jeans. He was breathing so hard, spurring her on. She slid his zipper down, then wrapped her arm around the back of his neck and pulled his mouth to hers. All of her embarrassment and her lingering nervousness worked itself out through that kiss. She licked along the curve of his lower lip, then took his lip between her teeth and drew back slowly. She was rewarded with a wanton moan.
“Jesus, Kate, you’re driving me nuts.”
He reached for her again, and she shook her head. Then she slid her hand beneath his briefs and wrapped her hand around his hard length. He reached for her again. She caught his hand midair and drew his fingers to her mouth. She rolled her tongue around his index and second fingers, then drew them out slowly, pulling a needy moan from his lips. She shimmied back down his body, tugging his pants along with her. Sage was quick to help, and within seconds he’d divested himself of every stitch of clothing. With her hand on his waist, she danced around him as if he were a dancer’s pole. And oh what a glorious pole he was!
She came around to his front and found his eyes closed and his lips parted, making it easier for her to continue being brave. She kissed her way across his muscular hips to the dip at the top of his thigh. Then she dragged her tongue from base to tip and felt him shudder. His hands tangled in her hair—gently—adding no pressure, no direction. Just feeling her as she took him in her mouth and loved every blessed inch of him. He fisted his hands, tightening his grip on her hair, but still refrained from guiding her in any way. Hell if she wasn’t already wet. Her seduction had worked on both of them. She kissed her way back up his body and felt his hands slide down her hips. He met her in a warm, delectable kiss as he slid his hand beneath her panties and teased her.
“God, Kate, I feel like I’m gonna explode.” He kissed her again, and she couldn’t think past her need for him. She pushed him playfully toward the mattresses. His eyes darkened, and when she pointed to the mattress, he went down willingly. She drew her panties down, her body trembling with need.
Jesus. Every inch of his body was taut, ready. He reached up for her, and she straddled him, burying him deep inside her, before lowering her mouth to his. In one swift move, Sage wrapped his powerful arms around her and swept her body beneath him with a sexy, guttural sound that was all male, completely indiscernible, and utterly captivating. He drove into her, pressing his whiskered cheeks against her face, and oh God, did she love the scratchy roughness of his whiskers and the virility of his body, the way he took control. Between the soft kisses he pressed to her earlobe and the hardness of his hips against hers, she nearly came apart.
“You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever known.”
His breath was hot on her neck as he held her tight and moved slowly inside her, electrifying every nerve in her body. She felt the pull of an orgasm teasing her, tugging her toward the edge.
“Sage.” One fast whisper was all she could manage before her fingernails dug into his back, her eyes slammed shut, and her head fell back as he carried her over the crest of a toe-curling, mind-numbing climax. He was right there with her, meeting her thrust for thrust, carrying them both through a feverish release.
Kate closed her eyes as he came to rest on top of her.
It didn’t matter if she knew what they were doing the next day, the next month, or the next year, as long as they were together.
Chapter Twenty-Five
SAGE LISTENED TO the night sounds echoing in the forest and watched shadows dance across the cabin as he lay with Kate on their mattresses. She’d completely blown him away. He’d been only half kidding about seeing her freaky side. Every time he thought he had her figured out, she revealed another part of herself. Whether it was the way she loved him, the way she kept the volunteers and the project organized, or her determination in advocating for the wells, she was always being more than he anticipated.
Kate’s stomach growled, and she covered her belly with her hand.
He kissed her temple. “Wanna shower and go grab some food? Have a drink under the moonlight with Luce before she leaves?”
“You don’t mind?”
“Mind? What am I? Six? I’m not competing for attention. I like Luce, and she’s your friend. It’s important for you to spend time with her.” It dawned on him that she might want time alone with Luce, and as he’d watched Kate move seductively around him earlier, inspiration had hit him like a brick. He’d tucked it away until now, but he was itching to get his hands on that canvas. “Would you rather spend some girl time with her?”
“That’s okay. I don’t want to miss time with you.”
“Kate, I have all night with you. You don’t get much time with her, and we’re both leaving in two days. Let’s get cleaned up, grab a bite and a beer, and then I’ll go paint while you two talk about how great of a lover I am.”
She smiled up at him, and he couldn’t imagine ever loving a person more than he loved Kate.
“A little overly confident?” she teased.
“Maybe. Would you rather I said you could talk about how much I suck in bed?”
She smacked his stomach.
“Right. That was my take on it. Always spin things positive.” He pulled her up to her feet and hugged her close. She looked up at him again. He was always getting lost in her beautiful blue eyes. One kiss that lasted a minute too long, the right touch, and they’d be right back on that mattress.
“I love you, Kate Paletto.”
“And I love you, Sage Remington.”
An hour later, after they shared a shower and dressed, they went to the mess hall, where the kitchen was already closed for the night. Kate and Sage raided the refrigerator and ate standing in the kitchen like a couple of teenagers, filling their stomachs with fresh fruit and warm Johnnycakes with butter. It was just after eight o’clock, and Sage thought about the painting he was going to begin. A familiar adrenaline rush snaked its way through his body, and he reminded himself not to fuck up tonight. Not to get lost in his artwork and leave Kate hanging. She smiled at him as she ate the last bite of her Johnnycake.
“You’ve got that look in your eye,” she said.
“What look?”
“That I wanna go draw something look.” She took a sip of her beer.
“I didn’t realize I had a look.”
Kate leaned against the refrigerator, and Sage moved in front of her, spreading her legs apart with his knees, then pressing his body against hers. “I thought maybe it was a different look.”
“No. This is a definite I want to paint look. You have a few looks that I’ve noticed. You have the lusty, I want to devour you look, which melts my heart every time I see it.”
“Careful giving away all your secrets.” He leaned down and kissed her neck.
“Then there’s your get any closer to Kate and I’ll rip your head off look.”
“I do not have that look.”
“No, of course you don’t.” She rolled her eyes. “Maybe we’ll just call it the hands off my woman look.”
“Okay, maybe. I’ll give you that one.”
“And then there’s the intense, totally in-the-zone artist look. I even like that one.”
Sage felt his smile falter. “I’m working on that one.”
“It’s adorable. I’ve never known anyone who really zoned out like that.”
He took a step backward and ran his hand through his hair. “It’s not adorable. It sucks. It’s disrespectful, and I’m gonna fix it.”
“What’s gotten into you?” Kate touched his arm, and he twisted away. “Sage?”
“Before Clayton left this afternoon, I went to give him hell about letting you down. I don’t like people not keeping their promises, especially to you.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“It was fine. We didn’t even need him.”
“I know you didn’t need him, but that’s not the point. And it’s not fine. I picked him up and slammed him against the car. I was pissed, and then I realized that I’m no better than him. And then…Shit, this is hard to admit. I realized that I was so angry with him because I saw my own actions in what he did. I didn’t blow you off that night because I didn’t think you were important. I blew you off because I was lost in drawing. If you take it apart, it all boils down to the same thing.”
“Sage, that’s not true.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, tension settling onto
his shoulders and back like a heavy cape. “You can’t do that, Kate. You can’t say it’s okay. I need to be held accountable when I do something like that.”
She pulled her brows together and shook her head. “It’s not that big of a deal. I understand.”
“Well, I don’t, and I’m gonna fix it.” He folded her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “I never want to hurt you. I know in relationships that happens to some degree anyway, when couples disagree, or whatever, but I don’t want you making excuses for me. I want to be the best man I can be for you. And you deserve a man who will put your needs ahead of his own.” He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “I want to be that man, Kate, so you can’t say it’s okay. Deal?”
“But…”
He shook his head. “No buts. I want to be the guy you can count on. Always. I want to be the person that you can call and I’ll know why you’re calling before you say a word. I want you to know that and take it for granted, and you can’t if you’re busy making up excuses about why I was late, or didn’t show up, or worked until three in the morning.”
Kate sighed and bit her lower lip. She dropped her eyes.
“Hey, please look at me. I’m serious.”
She met his gaze and nodded. “What you just said, about me calling you and you knowing what I’d want. You remembered what I’d said about having someone who could do that. That was like the second day after we met.”
“I can do this, Kate.”
“Sage, you already are that person. While we were standing here, I was thinking about if you’d stay out all night painting or if you’d come back to me. You knew.”
“No. I knew what I was feeling bad about. It was just coincidence that you were thinking the same thing.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “But I will be that person, and I’ll be more. You’ll see, Kate. I’ve never told a woman I loved her before, and I take that seriously. I can’t give you my heart unless my heart is worthy of all of you.”
Stroke of Love Page 21